The approximately $462,000 improvement project at the Forge Pond (Peconic Lake) Fishing Access Site on the Peconic River in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, is now complete, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. Upgrades at the site include parking and safety improvements, as well as the installation of a concrete ramp for launching trailered boats and an accessible dock for launching canoes and kayaks. Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) stewardship money funded the project.

“This is yet another example of Governor Cuomo’s ongoing effort to get people connected to the many exceptional recreational outdoor experiences New York State has to offer,” Commissioner Martens said. “The new ramp and parking spots will allow individuals with mobility impairments to get out and enjoy this natural area.”

Forge Pond, also known as Peconic Lake, is Suffolk County’s third largest lake at 120 acres. It has a robust community of warmwater gamefish and panfish and is part of the Peconic Estuary system, one of 29 nationally recognized estuaries in the United States.

The opening of the site coincides with the start of Suffolk County’s largemouth bass season, which runs from the first Saturday in June (June 6) through November 30. There is a five fish daily limit with a 12” minimum size. A catch and release season for largemouth bass runs from December 1 through April 30. The largemouth bass season is closed from May 1 to a day before the regular season opener (June 5). The lake is also home to an abundance of chain pickerel, black crappie, sunfish and brown bullhead, which anglers can catch.